George has had a love of all things culinary from a very young age, and throughout his career, has worked with renowned chefs and food technologists. He discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five after spending time in his grandmother's restaurant. From then on, under his mother's guidance (who is a talented cook of her own accord) George recalls cooking anything his mother would let him, starting out with scrambled eggs and hamburgers and quickly moving on to fine Italian and French dishes.

After many years of honing and perfecting his culinary craft, George still enjoys what he humbly considers: "complimenting my family culinary experience," by taking courses in regional cuisines pertaining to the vegetable ingredient products his family specializes in, namely: Asian, French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Tex Mex.

Because of George's extensive knowledge and passion for food, he is a great resource to customers in helping them find the right ingredients for their recipe needs. "I need to understand what's happening in the kitchen," he explained. "If my client has an unfavorable flavor note, I need to be able to assess the situation to understand why." That extra level of service and care undoubtedly stems from his love of food and his work alike, which fortunately for George, go hand and hand.

1 - In a heatproof bowl, soak the dried porcini in the boiling water until softened, 20 minutes.

2 - Remove the mushrooms. Strain the liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with a moistened paper towel. Rinse the porcini and finely chop.

3 - In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the chopped porcini, button mushrooms, leeks, carrot, celery and rosemary and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are browned, about 15 minutes.

4 - Add the chestnuts and stock and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add 3 cups of the strained porcini soaking liquid and season with salt and pepper.

5 - Bring the soup to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the chestnuts are very tender, about 30 minutes. Add the cream and let cool slightly. Puree in a blender in batches and keep warm.

6 - In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the sliced porcini, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the sautéed porcini.